ROLE OF CELLULAR PROLIFERATION AND APOPTOSIS IN THE GROWTH OF XANTHOGRANULOMAS

We examined a total of 13 xanthogranulomas in order to examine the mec hanism by which these lesions grow. Six xanthogranulomas from children <2 years of age were compared with lesions from seven patients >10 ye ars of age. All lesions were stained with antibodies directed against Ki-67 and bcl-2 protein, There were no significant differences between the two groups, There was a slight trend toward higher rates of proli ferating histiocytes within lesions from children (p < 0.18). It is un clear from our data whether this higher rate is correlated more with t he age of the patient or with the duration of the lesion. Inhibition o f cellular apoptosis, as demonstrated by expression of bcl-2, appears to play a minor role in the growth of xanthogranulomas in either child ren or adults. Xanthogranulomas appear to be tumors that grow by proli feration of ''histiocytes,'' independent of the age of onset.